Toads, toddlers, and botanic gardens

That's right! We have toads here in our Maryland yard! I went to take the recycling to the curb and almost stepped on a toad. I ran inside and grabbed Lins so she could see the creepy little guy. Linsay and I snapped a picture but by the time we decided to catch one they had disappeared. We searched through the bushes with flashlights and sticks but came up dry. I'm going to go out searching every night until I find one...just not in the backyard. I'm still too afraid of getting a tick. I only want to keep it long enough to show Ethan and then I can set it free. :)

The Botanic Garden
This morning we headed out for the Botanic Gardens and having only looked at a rough map got very lost. We ended up near the water front and had to walk about a mile and a half to get back towards the capitol. By the time we got to the gardens it was the heat of the day and things started to drag. I was the one who decided that the gardens would be fun because I thought Ethan would like running around and seeing all of the flowers.

Unfortunately Ethan hated it because he couldn't pick any of the flowers, play in the water, or keep the sunscreen out of his eyes. The heat and humidity eventually got to be unbearable so we headed home. Just in time too. It has been poring rain all day and it's expected to continue until late tomorrow. I love east coast weather. They don't mess around with rain storms here with droplets the size of golf balls and thunder that shakes the roof.

I'll keep you updated on the toad hunt and post pictures when I catch one.

Other Maryland delights: Our neighborhood ice cream man plays Christmas music and drives super fast down the streets. Ethan thinks deer are called "little guys" (For the full story see teammabey.blogspot.com). Fireflies are totally gross in the daylight. Metro stations make it impossible for people with strollers to get around.